Purification and characterization of tonoplast ATPase from etiolated mung bean seedlings

The tonoplast ATPase from etiolated seedlings of Vigna radiata L. (mung bean) was isolated using a two-step detergent solubilization modified from Mandala and Taiz (S Mandala, L Taiz [1985] Plant Physiol 78: 327-333). After ultracentrifugation on 10 to 28% sucrose gradient, the ATPase showed a 31.6-fold purification over the initial specific activity of the starting tonoplast-enriched membranes. The purified ATPase used Mg²⁺-ATP as the preferred substrate. The tonoplast ATPase was isolated in a form with characteristics similar to that on its native membrane environment. Analysis by SDS-PAGE revealed two prominent bands with molecular weights of 78,000 (α subunit) and 64,000 (β subunit). The intensity of Coomassie blue staining showed a 1:1 stoichiometry for α and β subunits. The amino acid composition of α and β subunits also confirmed the suggested stoichiometry of the subunit composition of the tonoplast ATPase. Moreover, radiation inactivation analysis yielded a functional size of 414 ± 24 and 405 ± 25 kilodaltons for soluble and membrane bound tonoplast ATPases, respectively. It is possible that the functioning tonoplast ATPase may be in a form of αβ-heteromultimer.